BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS

Tea-party groups fight Common Core

Governor urged to 'be hero' in rejecting education standards

Published: 11/27/2013 at 11:48 AM

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Dozens of conservatives and leaders of tea party groups from across Wisconsin sent Gov. Scott Walker a letter Tuesday urging him to “be the hero” and reject Common Core education standards.

The letter signed by 61 people came after Assembly Republicans who studied the standards indicated last week that they were not interested in abandoning them. The voluntary standards, covering English and math currently used by 45 states, were adopted in Wisconsin in 2010.

The goal of the standards, which backers say has been achieved, was to improve instruction and better prepare students for life after school. But critics, many of them conservative Republicans, say the standards are too weak, result in too much data collection about students and amount to the federal government creating a national curriculum.